Women's Lightweight Crew

Women's Lightweight Crew Welcomes 2017-18 Recruiting Class

Aug 11, 2017

Cambridge, Mass. (August 11) -- The MIT women's lightweight crew program has announced its incoming recruiting class for the 2017-18 season as 11 student-athletes join the team, which will again by under the direction of head coach Claire Martin-Doyle.

"MIT lightweight crew is excited to welcome our Class of 2021 to Pierce Boathouse," said Martin-Doyle. "This class has a huge amount of junior racing success among them and we're looking forward to their contributions to our speed on the water and the culture in our boathouse for making MIT the best lightweight rowing program in the country."

Anderson was the captain of the Lakeside School crew team in 2016-17 and finished second at the USRowing Northwest Junior Regional Championship in the lightweight 2x in 2016, along with a 10th-place finish in lightweight 2x at the 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships.

Gardner, who was the co-captain of the Minnesota Boat Club Junior Women's Team, placed fourth in the women's youth double at the 2016 Head of the Charles regatta. She was also fifth in the women's lightweight double at the 2016 Youth Nationals and completed at the USRowing Youth National Championships from 2015-2017.

Hall was a letter winner in both rowing (2014-17) and swimming (2012-14) who rowed for the Thompson Boat Club. She won the Team Scholar-Athlete Award, was an Athlete Scholar all four years and a four-year Honor Roll student. She was also the co-founder of DC Row for the Cure and co-found the Fun in the Sun Club.

Herscovici was a three-year letter winner and team captain in 2016-17 as she stroked the Varsity 8 to wins at the Q Cup and Exeter Invite, along with a runner-up showing at the 2017 Massachusetts Public School States. She also earned the silver in the lightweight single at the 2017 Northeast Regionals.

Kennedy-Moore, who rowed for Mercer Junior Rowing Club, earned the 2016-17 Standard Bearer Award and was named to the 2016-17 USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll. She finished 15th in the lightweight 8+ at the 2017 Youth Nationals, along with an eighth-place showing in the lightweight 4+ at the 2016 Youth Nationals.

Lo was the coxswain for the women's 4x+ races, finishing sixth out of 25 for the women's youth Coxed Quad event at the 2016 Head of the Charles. She was also first at the 2016 Long Beach President's Day Regatta and second at the 2015 Long Beach Christmas Regatta.

Michael was part of the lightweight 8+ that placed 16th at the 2015 USRowing Youth Nationals, along with the openweight 8+ crew was 11th at the 2016 USRowing Youth Nationals. She has a pair of top-20 finishes in the Youth 8+ section of the Head of the Charles, including a 12th-place showing in 2015 as the stroke. She was also third at the 2016 Canadian Henley Regatta in the U19 8+.

Morical rowed in the varsity pairs and eight with the Indianapolis Rowing Center and was her class valedictorian. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, the co-president of the Math Club and a National Merit Scholar and National AP Scholar.

Quraishi was the coxswain for her crew at Community Rowing and the Riverside Boat Club. She has been the gold medalist at the 2016 NEIRA's in the Girls 3v4+, along with finishing as the silver medalist in the Girls 2v4+ at the 2017 NEIRA's. She was also fourth in the women's U17 4+ semifinal at the 2015 Club Nationals and fifth place in her heat in the women's U19 8+ division at the 2016 Canadian Henley Regatta.

Richards rowed for the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club who placed third at the 2016 Rowing Youth Nationals. She has done an internship with Fifth Third Bank and research with the University of Cincinnati Aeronautical Department.

Schwartz raced on the varsity for four years and competed for Community Rowing, Inc. and the Killington Mountain School. A member of the National Honor Society, she also competed in alpine ski racing, was an AP Scholar with Distinction and received the Curtin Research Scholarship and the Samsung App Academy Scholarship.

This year's team begins the season at the Head of the Charles Regatta on October 21-22 and will be captained by Elizabeth Martin (Lexington, Mass.), Annika Rollock (Lafayette, N.J.) and Michelle Lauer (Bellevue, Wash.). The full season schedule will be posted soon on the MIT athletics web site.